Wow. Western Nebraska Beat Down.

I just saw this one and am going to steal it right from Shane over at Gravel Quest:

Odin's Revenge:

" Well, you're right - Nebraska isn't on the front range, but at under 5 hours western Nebraska is still a hell of a lot closer than most of the Midwest grinder round up.

Odin's Revenge appears to be taking form for late June. According to the on Guitar Ted's blog post the event should be about 180 miles leaving from Gothenburg, NE.  It's new, details are not final, there's no website and there may be limited space, but it could be a good event if it really comes together."

Sounds like an alternative to DK200...or in addition to...whatever floats your boat.

*** Update***

The Odin's Revenge SITE has been updated today.
From the site:

"If you LOVE gravel, send us a Valentine's card!

. . . post card, that is.

Registration for Odin's Revenge will begin on February 14th.

Details and Registration

Event Dates: June 29th-30th

Entry Fee: No Charge

Field Limit: 75

Start/Finish Town: Gothenburg, Nebraska

Registration: Registrations will be accepted starting February 14th and will continue until the field is full. 75 entries will be accepted with a limited number being placed on the alternate list.

Your registration needs to be on a postcard sent to;

Odin’s Revenge

c/o Chad Quigley

713 12th Street

Gothenburg NE 69138

The following information must be included on the card;

Name

Address

Category of Entry

Email address

Entries without a valid email address will not be allowed. Entries received before the 14th will not be accepted.

Prizes and Race Categories

Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers in each class. Additionally, special prizes will be given at the conclusion of the event at the discretion of the Sponsors and Directors. Details on the prizes and awards will be available as the date of the event nears.

Three Classes of Competitors:

Open Men

Open Women

Open Singlespeed / Fixed Gear

Relay - two riders will each ride one leg of the course."

Gold Belt Century

Follower to this site, Ryan Fonkert, tipped me off to the Gold Belt Century.
Ryan commented on a post:

"I took part in this one last year; a great ride. It, too, is more of a social affair; not really a race, per se. Still, if you're just looking to get in some great gravel miles with great folks, check it out. I had a blast. There were only 5 of us last year, and I was the only one from the Springs area. I was really surprised by that, as it's a great ride right here in our backyard."

While I haven't actually met Ryan other that out in electronic land, he seems like he probably wouldn't lie.  So, if you are looking for a good ride on June 10, look into the Gold Belt.

*Side note: I will definitely not be there because we have a son due in June.... Have fun people!

GG Tips

Guitar Ted posted some gravel tips for the upcoming Trans Iowa V.8 that are helpful. While they are not specific to the AntiEpic or any other Colorado gravel grinder, they can be informative and, at a minimum, can get the juices flowing for April.

Take a look at his tips HERE.

Not really AE related

not sure what is happening to this post...tried it two times, but it was all funky.
I captured this yesterday afternoon.  It's not from the course, but it's a similar view.
Have a good Tuesday!

No recon this weekend.

I didn't get out on the course for any recon, sorry.  No new news on wind, gravel conditions, or the loneliness of the open gravel road.

Noah, you didn't miss out on anything.

I still did get in about 4 hours of ride time and hit a little close-to-home gravel.
This guy was hanging out - he's a good example of the spectators you'll come across during the AE150.

 

 Have a good week folks and get out and get your training in....you'll need it!

Saturday the 21st

4-5 hours of gravel recon this Saturday morning.
Not too early this time - I'm thinking around 8.  Any takers?

Recon Ride - Sunday 1/15/12

Check it out on Strava first.  The segment on Hwy 86 is not part of the course - we only used it as a connector to reach the last segment of the race.  The rest of the route we did was on course.  Maymyride does a poor job of estimating elevation gain.  It'll probably be 7000-8000 total feet of climbing.  It's not easy - there are a lot of small rolling climbs that are exposed to the wind. 

Co Rd 98 (the "b" road) east of Co Rd 77 was tough.  Cement like mud clogged up our drivetrains and wouldn't let go.  It was a slick sandy clay that mixed with small chunks of grass to form a hard mass in any moving parts.  Here are a couple pictures of what that section was like:

I am getting questions about what bike to ride.  I do not recommend a cyclocross bike.  The amount of washboard area, fast loose downhill corners, and 150miles will leave you rattled, scraped up, and curled in a ball while crying.  Plus, if it is remotely wet, you'll be walking the entire road with a cyclocross bike.

A monstercross type setup may be a good option.  Most of what we rode today was hardpacked with some softer sandy type dirt.  I am riding my hardtail 29er with something like the Bontrager XR1s .
The control, comfort, and durability will be necessary over the 12 hours.

Here are a few more pictures from the day:

Morning views of Pikes Peak from the start

Packer fans along the course.  I wonder if they took this flag down after yesterday...

Common views

Old school/church

Wow

Start of the "B" road (Co Rd 98)

Your cheering section

Ken trying to make friends with spectators

A lot of rolling climbs